The Elephant
by Neuroscpr
Summary: Death, destruction, peacekeeper intrigue, god-like aliens, character conflict, and a little shippiness thrown in for good measure. John Crichton's found another human in the uncharteds. But the troubles may outweigh the benefits.


This is a story I started writing almost a year ago. I've been working on it all this time and  
it's still not done(about 300 pages and counting so far). If you're interested in seeing the rest,  
please let me know and I'll start posting. Thanks.  
  
thanks to unohoo, macsun, and can for their help  
  
  
The Elephant Ep1  
  
Tom Wells stared up at the stars. Or how many stars you could see on a hazy evening in  
Los Angeles. He wanted so much to see those stars up close. The dream of a little boy long gone  
that had not left. He looked at the glasses in his hands. Without them he could hardly see  
anything. A permanent reminder that he was stuck on this planet forever. When humanity finally  
did venture out into that infinite blackness, he would watch it on television. So here he was, on  
the roof of his apartment building. He was twenty now. A grown man with an impossible wish.   
An empty notepad lay in front of him. If he couldn't go to the stars, they would come to him. In  
his mind at least. He shook his head, frustrated. There would be no writing tonight. He stood to  
leave when out of the corner of his eye, something flashed. The brightest light in the sky had  
gotten bigger. He watched, partly with fascination and also fear. It continued to grow until his  
view of downtown had disappeared completely. Panicking, he thrust himself towards the fire  
escape. As he grabbed onto it's metal rails, the structure gave way and he tumbled over the side.   
Tom Wells never hit the ground.  
  
  
  
John Crichton felt content for the first time in too many months. He sat quietly against the  
wall in the maintenance bay humming softly to himself. Aeryn Sun, his love, worked diligently at  
the workbench in front of him. After the destruction of her prowler, they had gone to great  
lengths to find another one. It was a horrid thing. The hull was burnt and misused. The paint  
eroded away. But she loved the hunk of metal more than life itself. He would find her each day,  
toiling over it like a mother with her child. She noticed his gaze upon her and looked up. "What  
are you staring at?" He grinned. "You know what I'm staring at." She blushed lightly and went  
back to work. Crichton stood up quickly and moved towards her. Reaching her side, he pulled  
his head in next to hers. "Not now John. I need to finish this." She said the words without  
looking up. "Just one," he begged. She looked up at him, smiling warily. "Alright, but then I  
have to get back to work." He kissed her softly. She returned his affection, the tool in her hand  
falling to the floor. "Crichton!" Pilot's shrill voice suddenly filled the room. John groaned as he  
stepped back. "What is it Pilot?" His words were tainted with annoyance. "Forgive me for  
interrupting but Talyn is here. And Crais wants to talk to you." John looked at Aeryn, puzzled  
looks on both their faces. "Me?"  
  
When they arrived at the hanger doors, Talyn had already connected with Moya. D'Argo  
and Chiana had arrived as well. "Looks like the gangs all here." John looked fondly at his  
shipmates. "Where's sparky and Zhaan?" D'Argo grunted, "They're on their way." The doors  
began to slide slowly open and Bialar Crais appeared at the entrance. Dressed in his peackeeper  
captain's uniform, the man cut a menacing figure. The crew watched him carefully as he stepped  
inside. Ignoring their icy glares, he walked forward to meet them. "Hello all." His greeting was  
met by simple nods and Luxan growls. "I should have known not to expect a warm welcome.   
But nevertheless-." John cut him off. "What do you want Crais?" The ex-peackeeper nodded.   
"I've brought you something John. Something, I suspect, will be of great interest to you."   
D'Argo's patience gave out. "Why would we accept anything from you!" Crais ignored the  
outburst. "I do not expect warm welcomes. Yet I do remember certain instances where-."   
Aeryn opened her mouth for the first time. "What did you bring him?" "To the point as always  
Aeryn. Yes." He motioned towards the open hanger doors. A young man walked in. To  
Crichton, he seemed to be no more than nineteen or twenty. He stepped forward cautiously.   
Every step seemed to be carefully planned. They all eyed him with great interest, Crichton  
especially. The man was wearing a black peackeeper flight suit but under it, a dark blue  
sweatshirt could be seen. Printed on its front, were the letters U.S.C. John ran up quickly. The  
man did not back away. "What do those letters mean?" The other looked at him, a confused look  
on his face. "University of Southern California." John could not speak. All the color drained  
from his face as he stared at the man. "You're human?"  
  
A table had been set up in the central chamber. Six pairs of uneasy eyes stared back at  
him. The two in the middle, Crichton and Aeryn, watched him closely. His every gesture and  
movement was met with careful analysis. A grin spread slowly on John's face. "So many things I  
want to ask." He leaned heavily against the table. The most trivial questions kept floating to the  
top. "Who won the superbowl this year?" The young man looked amused. "You've been out  
here for over three years and you want to know who won the superbowl?" Noticing Crichton's  
stunned face he answered. "The Ravens." Shocked, John stammered. "Baltimore?" Both of  
them laughed at the absurdity of the situation. The others held blank expressions. Unable to hold  
back the emotion, John lunged forward and hugged the frightened man. He held him there for  
what seemed like hours. Finally pushing away, a new question filled his mind. "How did you get  
here?"  
  
  
  
He awoke suddenly inside a dark cylinder-like chamber. The walls around him beeped and  
chirped as lights flickered on and off. A large window opened up in front of him and he realized  
for the first time where he was. Millions of stars shown brightly in front of him. Attempting to  
find a familiar constellation, the fact dawned on him that these stars were different. A small video  
screen burst to life as he moved himself around. It was a cockpit. The screen was instantly filled  
with the face of a stern looking man. "Follow my instructions exactly or you're ship will be  
detonated." Panicking, he searched frantically for a way out. On each side of him he saw  
hundreds of other crafts like his. "I'm flying an airplane." The voice reacted to his words. "A  
prowler to be exact." What looked like a rifle scope appeared on the window's surface. It locked  
onto a larger vessel that floated in front of him. "Destroy the designated craft and you will remain  
alive. Fail and we will detonate your ship." The same threat as before. The other prowlers began  
to move towards the target. He noticed what looked like a joystick in front of him. Grabbing  
onto on of the handles, the ship responded immediately. His view suddenly turned upside down  
as the prowler rolled to the left. The video screen popped up again. "Destroy the-." He shook his  
head in frustration. "I get the point."  
  
The controls were astonishingly easy to learn. After a few more flips and rolls, he had the  
hang of it. Moving towards the target vessel in front of him, he realized that it was firing back.   
Wave after wave of prowlers were destroyed as they attempted to attack. He noticed gun turrets  
were positioned along the ship's roof. Pulling the prowler into a dive, he shot straight up at the  
enemy. "How do I shoot?" A red button on the console in front of him began blinking. He  
pressed down on it several times. Instantly, four torpedo-like objects shot from below him. He  
watched in astonishment as they closed in on their target. Suddenly two of the rockets exploded  
in mid-flight. Another gun turret had appeared from the bottom. Unfortunately, it could not  
handle four shots at once. The second two rockets impacted with the moving gun and it erupted  
in flames. The fire spread quickly upward and within moments the entire vessel detonated.   
Fascinated, he did not know whether to cheer or cry out. What had he just done. He did not  
have much time to ponder this. The view around him began to fragment and disappear.  
  
The man from the screen stood before him. He felt an unnatural weight on his shoulders.  
A large black collar was wrapped around his neck. "Well done. Very good move for a first try."   
He stared up, frightened by the dungeon-like look of the room. The collar contained miniature  
screens like the one on the ship. "That didn't just happen?" The man smiled at him. "It did  
indeed. You were controlling the prowler via the collar but the mission was in fact completed."   
He shook his head. "I destroyed that ship?" The man nodded. "And the attack regiment it  
contained. You saved us a great deal of time." He motioned to two guards that stood rigid  
against the wall. They came forward and picked up the confused pilot. "Everything will be  
explained in time."  
  
"Heard you hit em good!" The soldier eyed him with keen interest. "Where am I?" They  
did not answer him. As the trio rounded another corner, a vast hall came into view. He could see  
hundreds of men and women like the soldiers. As well as many strange and grotesque looking  
creatures. The soldiers put him down in a stool. "Eat while you still can." Those were their last  
words before they turned on their heels and left. He sat there confused for several moments as  
everyone around him voraciously downed their meals. A bowl of colorful cubes was placed in  
front of him. Picking one up, he popped it into his mouth. It tasted good. Surveying his  
surroundings, it occurred to him that he wasn't wearing glasses. Turning to the nearest human-  
looking person, he asked, "is there something on my eyes?" The woman, annoyed at being  
interrupted, gave him a funny look. "What color are they supposed to be?" Confused, he said  
"Brown." She laughed. "Nope. They're grey now. Must have fitted you with new ones." She  
turned back to her food. Stunned, he lifted a finger to his right eye. It felt the same. "New  
ones?"  
  
He felt rough hands grip his shoulders. He turned to find a new set of soldiers standing  
behind him. "Time for debriefing." They did not bother to say more as he was dragged from his  
plate of food.  
  
  
  
The ice cold metal chair was very uncomfortable. In front of him, the stern looking man  
eyed him with great interest. "My name is Lt. Zasz. You are the last of the test pilots to arrive.   
There is not much time to explain what has happened to you. All that you need to know now is  
that you will fight or die. Do as you are told and perhaps you will live to see your home again."   
Thoughts of home circled through his head. How he had wished to be among the stars. Now all  
he wanted was to see L.A. again. The stern man continued to speak. Some sort of battle was  
going to take place. He was going to fight in this battle. Seeing his lack of attention, the man  
stepped forward and smacked him hard. The sting of the blow sent immense pain through his  
face. "I'm going to die."  
  
The march had been brief. He stood now in what appeared to be a large hanger.   
Hundreds of planes like the one he had used were lined up. As the soldiers pushed him forward,  
he saw the same beings that had been in the mess hall. Had they all been taken like him? Arriving  
at his designated Prowler, he was ordered inside. The cockpit was familiar to him now and  
orienting himself took little time. As he snapped the restraints into their locks, a wall on the far  
side of the hanger began to rise. Billions of stars greeted him as the door to outer space was  
opened. One by one, each prowler before him blasted out into the darkness. When his turn came,  
he accelerated forward and out.   
  
The incredible sense of freedom and excitement did not last long. Before him, the scene  
was a frightening one. Two massive spaceships loomed just within view. He noticed what  
seemed like thousands of smaller crafts floating around them. The same video screen appeared  
with the stern man once again giving orders. "Destroy everything you see before you. You must  
not allow any harm to come to the Auriga or you will be detonated. 'Fight or die huh." He  
steered his ship towards the fray and prayed to God.  
  
  
  
Laser blasts were being fired in all directions. He hardly had time to maneuver around one  
when another appeared. He watched in awe as the two opposing battleships sent wave after wave  
of blasts. It was a losing fight. He could see the number of pilots dwindling. The prowlers were  
destroying each other while the three largest ships remained dormant. Heading away from the  
main attack area, he flew unopposed towards the Daggoth. Its enormity was spellbinding. It  
filled his entire window. Firing multiple shots at its hull, he watched as the rockets did little more  
than light up the area around the ship. He couldn't do this alone. A large explosion jolted him  
from his mission. He turned to see the Auriga in terrible shape. A direct hit from the Hyperion  
had crippled its left side and the massive craft was steering itself towards the prowlers. Plowing  
through the field, it destroyed as many of its own fighters as of the others.   
  
Turning back to the Daggoth, he searched for anything that might be susceptible to his  
attacks. How could he possibly make a difference in this fight if he didn't know where anything  
was? The video screen flickered for the final time. Stern man's face was bloody and shout could  
be heard behind him. "Direct your craft towards the Hyperion now!" Frightened by the man's  
wild shouts, he cried out "What?" The prowler suddenly jerked and changed direction.   
Frantically, he tried to regain control of the vessel. It was now pointed at the Hyperion. This was  
the largest of the three ships and it was fully engaged with the Auriga. A flash of light cut across  
space and closed around him. He felt the prowler change directions again. The Daggoth had  
caught him in a tractor beam. Using all the force that his small ship could muster, he managed to  
pull away from the tractor beam. Looking down at his screen he saw strange symbols flashing. It  
did not take much thinking to figure out what was going on. A countdown had been activated.   
He searched frantically for some sort of stop button. Finally, in frustration he yelled out "Eject!"  
  
Nothing happened at first. Then with a soft whine, he heard movement below him. The  
seat exploded upward and smashed through the windshield. He managed to click his helmet into  
place seconds before his body was floating in outer space. He watched in amazement as his  
prowler hurtled aimlessly in front of him. A large box-like container was attached to the ship's  
bottom. Smashing against the Daggoth's hull, the prowler exploded and its pieces were  
dispersed. But something was still there. The container had attached itself to the larger ship. A  
bright flash of light filled the area around him. The Daggoth exploded in a gigantic fireball that  
extended in all directions. He looked on in horror as the Auriga also exploded. The two ships  
sent chunks of debris catapulting through space. He was almost hit by shards of metal and  
mangled corpses. Bile shot up through his throat as he recognized the stern man floating  
alongside him. A hideous stare fixed on his face.  
  
Slowly but surely, he could feel a force moving him towards the Hyperion. He watched in  
fear as it's massive hanger doors opened to welcome him.  
  
  
  
A harsh shaking snapped him back into the moment. Crichton and Aeryn sat motionless in  
front of him. "You destroyed the ship?" Aeryn's face was fixed in disbelief. 0377 nodded his  
head slightly. The guilt returned without mercy to torture him again. "I didn't realize...." His  
voice trailed off as he lowered his head. "You should get some rest." John was concerned for  
this poor man. He knew from personal experience that being torn from your home and forced  
into a strange situation could be very difficult. "Aeryn, let's go find him a cell." She nodded and  
they helped the stranger up from the table. Finding an empty room nearby, they laid him down  
and turned the lights down low. "Thank you," he whispered as they left.  
  
The gun appeared from nowhere and fired into him. He could see the blood gushing from  
the wound as his body was racked with pain. "Ahhhhhhh!" 0377 awoke suddenly from the  
dream. He was lying on the floor of what looked like a cell. His body was covered in soft orange  
blankets that shined with the light in the room. He stood up cautiously to survey his  
surroundings. Something laying next to him on the floor caught his eye. A small metal device in  
a sort of rounded shape. He picked it up and shook it. Nothing happened. Tapping it lightly  
with his finger, a humming sound began emanating. "Yes?" Pilot's voice came out of the comm,  
causing him to jump back. "Hello?" He could think of nothing to say. "Is there something you  
wanted?" Pilot's voice seemed slightly amused. "Um yes. Is there somewhere that I could wash  
my clothes?" He sniffed himself quickly and decided it was a good idea.  
  
0377 walked silently into the room that Pilot had indicated. There was a large fountain in  
the middle of it with filled with water. Believing that he was alone, he walked quickly up to it.   
He was stopped short when he saw the grey woman kneeling in the water. He could not help but  
stop for a moment and take in her comely form. The others had called her Chiana. "Enjoying the  
view?" Crichton appeared behind him and slapped his back softly. The grin on his face was  
infectious and 0377 could not help but laugh. Aeryn Sun came in behind John but said nothing.   
She walked across the room and sat down. He could see her angrily attempting to wash  
something from her vest. At this point, Chiana realized that she had company. Turning to face  
0377, she winked at the confused human. The devilish look on her face was disconcerting. He  
smiled back. "Can I wash my clothes here?" She stepped out of the water and came towards  
him. Inches from his face she stopped. "Let me get those for you." She purred the words more  
than she spoke them. He stood frozen as she took them from his hands and walked slowly back  
to the fountain.  
  
"Don't worry about it." John shook his head as he said the words. "Its always nice to  
have someone." 0377 looked at him, a painful expression on his face. "What?" Intrigued, both  
Aeryn and Chiana were now paying close attention.   
  
  
  
"Wow." Crichton stared amazed at the man in front of him. All the feelings he held inside  
gushed to the surface as he examined what had just been said. He had felt something like that  
with Aeryn. Not at first, but it had happened. He turned towards her but she was busy with her  
vest. "I know how you feel." 0377 spoke the words as softly as he could. The look in John's  
eyes told him that they were both thinking the same things. Looking up at Aeryn Sun, he realized  
that it must have been just as difficult with her.   
  
"Frell, what is it with humans and peacekeeper gals?" Chiana's comment broke the heavy  
silence that had settled on the room. Everyone turned to look at her but said nothing. Aeryn's  
eyes narrowed as she watched both John and 0377. They seemed to get along rather well. There  
was a certain comfort between the two of them. This scared her but she didn't know why. "Well,  
thank you Chiana." 0377 stood and walked out of the room. "I have some things I have to do."   
His words came out hollow. Disappearing out the door, he left three bewildered crew members.  
  
He dropped onto the makeshift bed. Feeling the cold metal against his skin he closed his  
eyes. She was there in his mind. That face. John and Aeryn gave him a slight glimmer of hope.   
Perhaps if they could work it out, so could... He pushed the thought out of his head. "I should  
have said something more." A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Aeryn Sun was  
standing in his doorway. An uncertain look plastered on her face. "May I come in?" He nodded  
quickly. The woman made him nervous. She was beautiful but that wasn't the only reason.   
Meryl had the same black hair. The same harsh expression. He could see it in Aeryn and it  
brought back painful memories. It had felt good to tell his story to someone else.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that? Stop it!" Her face turned angry as she shouted.   
0377 backed up against the wall and shielded his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!" She shook her  
head. "I am with Crichton." She muttered the words a few more times. "Yes, I know." Aeryn  
was confused. "Then why did you look at me like that? John looks at me like that." He smiled  
despite the hurt. "Its just that you remind me her." Her face softened a bit. "Meryl?" "Yes.   
Your face, it has much in common with hers. I didn't mean it that way. On earth, when we think  
someone is beautiful, we let them know. It doesn't automatically mean that we want to be with  
them." She laughed and he could definitely understand what Crichton saw in her. "You go  
around staring at every woman like that?" "Not all."   
  
Aeryn spotted something on him. "Blood?" 0377 looked down at his pants. There was  
in fact a small stain of blood. "Yes...."  
  
  
"We never got to finish that talk." He looked at Aeryn. The sympathy in her face made  
him feel a bit better. "Perhaps you will someday. We can change you know. I am living proof of  
that." She was surprised at how easily the reassuring words came. She recognized herself less  
and less these days. "Peackeepers you mean?" She smiled. "Yes." The comm on her vest came  
to life. "Aeryn? Where are you? I need your help with something." She frowned. "I'll be right  
there John." Turning back to 0377, she said "Humans seem so soft and weak. When you tell me  
of all the things that have happened to you and everything that John has gone through. . John's  
been tortured for so long. I don't know how he kept going." 0377 patted her softly on the back.   
He knew. "It was you." She stared back at him. The words burned deeply into her. That this  
man who had been with them for a few short arns could tell her such intimate things was  
perplexing. "It's the way he acts around you. Can't you see it?" She smiled broadly. "I think I  
can." He pulled something from his sweatshirt pocket. "I had forgotten that this was here." It  
was a small box with black material running through it. It reminded her of the tapes that John  
used to talk to his father. "I want you to give this to Crichton."   
  
John Crichton was in the maintenance bay. Old prowler parts were strewn across the table  
and he was hard at work with one of them. He did not hear her enter. Aeryn walked slowly up to  
him. He looked up as she stopped. The kiss was warm and unexpected. They both smiled as  
they drew back. Sitting down next to him, she pulled the tape from her pocket and placed it on  
the table. "What was that for?" She grinned sheepishly. "Does there have to be a reason?" John  
laughed. "No, I suppose not." She pushed the tape towards him. His face filled with surprise.   
"Is that what I think it is?" She shrugged. "I don't know myself." He pulled the old tape  
recorder from his toolbox and snapped the cassette into place. He looked at her, a little boy's  
smile spread across his face. John clicked the play button.  
  
"I thought that you'd be loving me. I thought you'd be the one who'd stay forever.... But now  
forever's come and gone and I'm still here alone."  
  
It was music. John laughed loudly. "Oh man that is music!" Aeryn covered her ears. "It  
sounds like noise to me." Her face was twisted into a frown. "No that is definitely Earth music.   
Not exactly my favorite song but it will do!" He turned the volume up louder and stood up.   
"Aeryn Sun, may I have this dance?" She looked up at him. Either with joy or skepticism, he  
couldn't tell. "I couldn't possibly dance to th..." He took her hand and dragged her from the  
chair. They fumbled for a moment before joining together. Her arms were wrapped around his  
neck and his own around her waist. "You're doing great." She smiled despite the uncertainty.   
Keeping from stepping on his toes was becoming an endurance challenge. Aeryn put her head on  
his shoulder and they moved slowly to the melody.  
  
0377 watched them quietly from outside the room. The wonderful scene in front of him  
filled him with hope. There seemed to be something inherently right about what was happening.   
Those two were meant for each other. He could not keep his thoughts from drifting to Meryl....  
  
  
  
0377 walked slowly back to his room. He examined with infinite wonder the gargantuan  
creature that he was moving through. Something swelled inside of him. He felt hope again.   
Truly a human emotion.  
  
Lt. Sargas watched her wake up slowly in the bed. "Captain, it is good to see you  
recovering so quickly." She scowled at him. "Thank you for your concern Lt." He could not  
shake the feeling that something was wrong with her. She had not been acting normally lately.   
Ever since the human had arrived. "It may not be my place to say so captain, but I had noticed  
that you have not been yourself lately. Perhaps the human has abilities we have not yet learned  
of." Anger spread across her face. "You are correct Lt. Sargas. It is not your place to say so."   
He nodded. There was nothing more he could do here. "Whatever it was, I'm sure it will go  
away soon." She ignored the comment and signaled for him to leave. He bowed slightly and  
retreated, letting the door slam loudly as he exited. Meryl Raynor looked down at her leg. It was  
healing quickly. Yet the wound held a deeper threat. By creating it she had made a choice. She  
looked back at the door as it slammed. "I don't want it go away." 


End file.
